Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: Pragg Maintains Lead, Sindarov Remains Close Challenger Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu continued to dominate the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament, securing the sole top position after the first day of blitz rounds. The Indian grandmaster scored 6/9, the best result of the day, and extended his lead over Javokhir Sindarov to 1½ points. Levon Aronian also delivered a strong performance, finishing half a point behind Sindarov’s daily score, but his modest result in the rapid section left him 3½ points off the overall lead. With nine blitz rounds remaining, Pragg and Sindarov are the primary contenders for the title. Pragg began the day with a decisive victory over Vincent Keymer. The German resisted fiercely, relying heavily on the increment, but eventually allowed a passed pawn to determine the outcome. Keymer struggled with time trouble and ended the day with 2½/9, tying with Leinier Dominguez. Meanwhile, Wesley So maintained his early momentum by defeating Jorden van Foreest. So sacrificed two pawns to launch a direct attack along the h-file, leaving Black’s position untenable. Sindarov, however, started with a draw against Aronian, setting the stage for a competitive battle. The second round saw both of Pragg’s closest rivals face setbacks. Fabiano Caruana defeated So after creating an outside passed pawn, while van Foreest overcame Sindarov with an active king march to g3. Pragg drew his game, moving 2 points clear of both Caruana and van Foreest. Aronian’s most striking performance of the day came in round four, where he defeated Anish Giri in 30 moves. His attack featured a piece sacrifice followed by an exchange sacrifice, culminating in a checkmate. Sindarov strengthened his challenge with three consecutive victories between rounds four and six.#fabiano_caruana #javokhir_sindarov #levon_aronian #wesley_so #praggnanandhaa_rameshbabu
Nagpur's Divya Deshmukh Wins World Chess Rapid Team Bronze Nagpur’s Divya Deshmukh secured a bronze medal for her team in the FIDE World Rapid Team Championships, which concluded in Hong Kong on Friday. The 21-year-old Grandmaster, representing the Hexamind Chess Team, played a pivotal role in the team’s third-place finish. The Hexamind squad, comprising Alireza Firouzja, Levon Aronian, Anish Giri, Volodar Murzin, Vidit Gujrathi, and Kateryna Lagno, outperformed their rivals in the 12th and final round, defeating Birdie and Friends 3.5-2.5 to secure 18 points. This placed them alongside the eventual champions, Dragon Chilling, led by Ding Liren of China, and Arjun Erigaisi’s Team MGD1. The tie-break score of 611.5 determined Hexamind’s third-place finish, with Divya contributing significantly to the team’s success. Divya, who played on the sixth board, participated in seven of the 12 games, earning 4.5 points. Her performance was critical in key rounds, including the ninth and 10th matches, where her team secured victories against the eventual champions, Dragon Chilling. In the 10th round, she drew a solid 71-draw against Chinese Grandmaster Lei Tingjie, helping Hexamind dominate the match 4-2. Her efforts were complemented by the heroics of her 19-year-old Russian teammate, Volodar Murzin, whose unbeaten run was instrumental in clinching the team bronze. The tournament’s final day saw Divya hold off strong opponents, including D Harika and Lei Tingjie, while her team’s victory in the ninth round marked a turning point. Aronian’s decisive win against Wei Yi on the second board further bolstered Hexamind’s position, ensuring their top-tier standing. Divya’s ability to maintain composure under pressure highlighted her growing reputation as a top-tier player.#nagpur #divya_deshmukh #levon_aronian #hexamind_chess_team #volodar_murzin
Harika Dronavalli Exclusive | ‘Blank mind’ and bold leap: How the veteran cracked freestyle chess on debut Indian women’s chess today tells two very different stories. In Cyprus, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Divya Deshmukh are locked in a fierce battle at the Women’s Candidates, chasing the right to challenge the reigning World Champion. Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away, another Indian star has charted an entirely different path to glory in the same game of 64 squares, but a completely different format. Yes, she is Grandmaster (GM) Harika Dronavalli. In a nation where only four women have ever earned the GM title, 35-year-old Harika remains one of its most enduring pillars. As her compatriots prepare for the traditional grind of World Championship cycles, Harika has qualified for the inaugural FIDE Women’s Freestyle Chess World Championship, set to take place next year. Harika’s journey to this milestone began at the Grenke Chess Festival of Karlsruhe, Germany, where she secured the top women’s prize at the Grenke Freestyle Open. This victory made her the first Indian to qualify for a format that strips away the safety net of opening theory, leaving players with nothing but their raw intuition. Freestyle Chess, or Chess960, is a format where the starting position of the pieces is randomized. For players who have spent decades memorizing thousands of variations in openings like the Ruy Lopez or the Sicilian Defense, it is a terrifying prospect. Harika, however, walked into the arena with a zen-like detachment. “It was amazing, especially because it was my first freestyle tournament,” Harika told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive conversation. “I haven’t followed much of it before. I didn’t know anything about it.#harika_dronavalli #grenke_freestyle_open #fide_women_s_freestyle_chess_world_championship #levon_aronian #awonder_liang
